Dozens of bass anglers from across Acadiana will be trying to “supersize” their catch in less than a week on Lake Fausse Pointe.

Their chances of cashing in will increase in one of the most popular bass tournament formats around if they can catch bigger and bigger bass despite the challenging water and weather conditions throughout this past month. Frequent rains and cold fronts have combined to make bassin’ tougher than it should be in the prespawn and spawn.

The Big Bass Classic, unique to this region and patterned after the Bob Sealy Big Bass Splash events at Toledo Bend and Lake Sam Rayburn, among others, gets underway with the first cast at 7 a.m. Saturday in the tournament held out of Marsh Field Boat Landing. After weeks of preparation by Big Bass Classic Director Tee Roy Savoy of Coteau Holmes, the spotlight will be on the anglers who take to the water, many of them who will launch in the predawn darkness after registering under the pavilion at the boat landing and motor to their hotspot.

The first of eight one-hour periods in which $250, $150 and $150 is awarded for the first-, second- and third-heaviest bass ends when the scale closes at 8 a.m. The hourly weigh-ins are at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.

BBC participants will motor to the weigh-in site, get out and weigh bass they hope will bring in one or more of the three cash prizes in the fundraising event for the Lydia Cancer Association  and Acadiana Hope for a Cure. Usually, the last 15 minutes each hour are the most exciting as bassers decide whether to put their bass on the scale or wait until the next hour.

Seventy-one bass were weighed last year during the Big Bass Classic on Feb. 23. The biggest in the eight-hour period was a 4.70-pounder carried in by Lee Bordelon of Abbeville and Marcus Hebert of Loreauville. Bordelon and Hebert double-teamed that big bass, which was worth $500, $250 for winning the fourth hour and another $250 as the top bass of the Big Bass Classic. 

Mike Louviere Sr. of Loreauville was the Big Bass Classic Money Champion in 2019. The veteran bass angler boasted two first-place fish, a second-place fish and a third-place fish for $750. Louviere fished with his son, Mike Louviere Jr. 

Savoy and his board, bolstered recently by volunteers from the Lydia Cancer Association and the Acadiana Hope for a Cure, have reached out to businesses and residents across the Teche Area. They have been collecting donations of products and monetary sponsorships.

Many people in the community have responded with an open heart and that has been gratifying to experience, soup for the soul, if you will. They genuinely care about the organizations — the Lydia Cancer Association and the Acadiana Hope for a Cure — that reach out and help so many residents across the area. 

To become a sponsor,  donate items or for more information on the tournament, call Savoy at 519-3107.

 

DON SHOOPMAN is outdoors editor of The Daily Iberian.